Underneath
by Mar Komi
Summary: An avalanche leaves Sheppard incapacitated, Zelenka discovers that he has something in common with Teyla, and some Wraith need to be hunted down. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Don't own them. Probably never will.

**Characters: **Team fic, but the story mostly revolves around Sheppard, Teyla and Zelenka.

**A/N: **This story takes place in a fictional 6th season, and Atlantis is somehow back in the Pegasus galaxy (I leave it to others to think of _how _that happened). It's about six months after the incidents in my first story "Our Great Divide" and I suggest you read that first. However, this story will still make sense if you choose not to.

* * *

**Underneath**

**Part 1**

The planet was a winter wonderland. The snow was soft and crisp like powder, the hills and slopes were untouched – no one had ever gone skiing there before, at least not for thousands of years. It was the perfect place for off-pist, and John Sheppard just couldn't stop grinning with anticipation as he readjusted his goggles. He looked to his left at Dr. Nina Dahl, "You ready?"

"Oh yeah," the blonde woman replied, grinning back at him.

The weather was just as perfect as everything else. The sun was shining bright and high in the sky, and the wind was only a small breeze. It was several degrees below, but after spending time in Antarctica, the cold never bothered John, and apparently not the young woman to his left either.

"Alright," John said, and planted his ski poles in the snow in front of him, leaning a little forward, as Dr. Dahl did the same. "One, two, three – go!"

They both took off at once. The wind whistled past John's ears as he darted downhill, aiming for the little black spot that was the Puddle Jumper, and occasionally he heard what had to be Nina's shrieks of joy. The jumper grew bigger and bigger, and as they approached it, they separated and flew past it on either side. Then they both turned sharply to the left to come to a full stop, sending a wave of snow over a weird looking machine standing there. They both laughed.

Dr. Radek Zelenka's head popped up from a small trench in the snow next to the machine. "Excuse me, this is very delicate equipment!" he scolded, and gave them a disapproving scowl to underline the words.

"Sorry, Doc," John said, and put his goggles up unto his head.

"Yes, we're sorry," Nina added, smiling teasingly at John. "And I won."

"I beg to differ," John replied. "I believe _I_ won."

"Hah!" she said. "I totally kicked your ass."

"You kicked my ass, alright, 'cause you were _behind _me."

She stooped down, grabbed a handful of snow and threw at him. He dodged with a laugh, and it just missed him. "Well, I guess we'll have to let the good doctor decide," he said and turned back towards Zelenka. "Radek, who got here first?"

"I have no idea," Zelenka mumbled. "I was – amazingly enough – _working._"

He climbed out of the trench and started tapping away on his machine. He was bundled up like an Eskimo, but the cold didn't seem to bother him much either. After all he'd been stationed in Antarctica too, and in Siberia before that.

"Come on, Doc," John said with a smile. "You need to kick back now and then, or you're gonna end up like McKay." Zelenka just snorted, without looking up. John grinned and looked at Nina. "Too late."

She smiled. "A rematch then."

"Absolutely." He looked around and his eyes came to a rest on the highest peak in the area. "From there?" He nodded towards it.

She turned around to have a look. "Oh, you're on, Colonel."

"Great." John looked towards Zelenka again. "Why don't you come with us, Radek?"

Zelenka looked up at him and then shifted his eyes to the peak, before he stared back at John with a slightly horrified look. "Oh no. I told you, I don't ski."

"Why not? You have some pretty nice slopes over there in the Czech Republic, don't you?"

"Mm, yeah," Zelenka mumbled and went back to his work. "Doesn't mean I use them."

John chuckled. "Alright." He clapped a hand to the Czech's back so hard that the smaller man almost fell face first in the snow. "See you in a couple of hours, then."

Zelenka shook his head and mumbled something in his native tongue. John could easily distinguish the word 'idiots', though. Knowing that the doctor would be preoccupied with his work and probably not need him or Dr. Dahl for some time, he decided it would be safe to leave him here by the jumper. "Have fun with… whatever it is you're doing."

"Yes, yes, yes, go break your necks," Radek mumbled.

John and Nina took off their skis and started trotting away towards the peak. "It's gonna be a long climb," John warned her.

"Why, you want me to carry your skis for you?" she teased.

John smiled, realizing he had been smiling a lot this last few hours. This woman was truly delightful – lively and adventurous and fun – and he wondered where she had been all these years. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed female company of this kind. She was so laidback and relaxed, qualities that unfortunately were rare among the Atlantis expedition members. Not that it was strange that one's nerves went to pieces out here. The Pegasus galaxy could shave years of anyone's life, because you – ironically enough – lived in constant fear of having exactly that happening to you.

But Nina wasn't touched by the Atlantis way of life, at least not so far. To John she represented something new and fresh, and yet something so familiar that it seemed he had known her forever. And yet it was only about twenty-four hours since he'd first laid eyes on her…

* * *

ABOUT TWENTY-FOUR HOURS EARLIER…

John had not seen this girl before, which was a little strange. He took pride in always checking out the new arrivals as soon as they came to Atlantis, at least the female ones, but somehow this particular woman had managed to slip past his observant gaze. He suddenly spotted her in the middle of the room serving as the Atlantis cinema, where she was jumping up and down, shouting to the screen, "Aksel, Aksel, Aksel!"

Apparently Norwegian alpine skier Aksel Lund Svindal was about to win the downhill competition shown on the big screen, but John paid more attention to the screaming girl now. She was quite attractive, tall – _really_ tall, easily more than six feet – and slim, with blonde hair that was cut short. As Svindal crossed the finish line, she shrieked with joy and John didn't really need the flag patch to determine her nationality. "Yes, yes, yes!" she yelled. "Bode Miller bites the dust! USA sucks!"

Then she seemed to realize that most of the people in the room with her were Americans, and quickly added, "At downhill skiing, that is."

As muttering Americans scowled at her and began leaving the room, John got to his feet and approached the blonde. "I take it you're Norwegian?" he said with a teasing smile.

She turned towards him and smiled, then proudly showed him her flag patch. "Born and bred, sir."

She was even more attractive up close. Her eyes were big and blue as the ocean outside, with a sparkle in them that told him she probably could be really naughty if she chose to. He put on his most charming smile – the one that always made Rodney call him 'Kirk' – and reached out his hand. "Colonel John Sheppard."

She took it. Her handshake was strong and firm for a woman's. "Dr. Nina Dahl," she presented herself.

He noticed the yellow patches on her uniform jacket. "You with the Med Department?"

"Yes, bioengineering," she replied.

"Sounds interesting," he lied.

A short silence fell between them, as they both, not very discreetly, checked each other out.

"You been here long?" he asked, although he was pretty sure about the answer.

"Six weeks," she said.

Six weeks. The girl had been here for six weeks. Which meant she hadn't come with the last shipment yesterday, but the one _before_ that. How could he not have noticed her if she'd been walking around Atlantis for so long? Then again, he'd been busy these last few weeks. Lots of work.

"You like it?" A lame question, but he really couldn't think of anything else.

"Of course. This place has everything! City's beautiful, interesting people, a whole new galaxy with a lots of new things to see and study…"

"Life-sucking aliens," he added helpfully.

She smiled. "Aah, I haven't met those yet. Well, I've studied parts of them in the labs back at Stargate Command."

"Not that I wanted to scare you," he quickly said.

She winked at him. "It takes more than that to scare me, sir."

"Please, call me John."

"Alright… John."

He tried to think of more to say. Somehow it was hard to think clearly with her blue, teasing eyes on him. "Congratulations on your countryman," he eventually said, nodding towards the screen now showing figure skating. Yesterday's shipment had brought DVD's of the latest winter sports competitions back on Earth.

"Thank you. I've waited three weeks to see that race, but it was _so_ worth the wait."

"Do you ski?" he suddenly asked.

"I'm Norwegian, so yes, of course I do."

"You see, I'm supposed to escort Dr. Zelenka off-world tomorrow, to MX1-375. He's doing something with a machine."

He paused, and she looked curiously at him. "Yes?"

"The planet is in its ice age, which means there's constant winter there. It's got some pretty nice slopes and I'm planning to take advantage of them. Would you care to join us?"

"Are you serious?" she smiled.

"Yes," he said.

"I would love to."

"Good, I'll have you assigned to the mission, then." He winked at her and left, a little surprised at his own spontaneity. Just as he turned a corner, he stopped dead in his tracks. Why? Why was this surprising? Wasn't he a spontaneous person? Hadn't he always been?

He looked to his left, out at a balcony and – beyond it – the big, blue ocean of New Lantea. Where had John Sheppard gone? What had this place done to him?

* * *

PRESENT…

They finally reached the top of the peak. It was exhausting making one's way uphill in the deep snow, and the climb had taken them several hours. "A ski lift wouldn't be such a bad idea," John said at one point. "Maybe we should have the engineers put up one?"

"Or maybe install Asgard beaming technology," Nina said. "That would be cool."

"Definitely. But I guess the Asgards wouldn't find our spare time comfort important enough."

"Not the engineers either," she added.

"Next time I'll at least bring a second pilot," he concluded.

The view on top was breathtaking. The world was gleaming white as far as the eye could see in all directions. Far, far below them, a little to the right, they could spot the tiny black object that had to be the Puddle Jumper. John smiled. The slope was steep. This would be one hell of a ride.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked with a teasing smile.

She just laughed. "Bring it on. This would be considered a beginners' slope back home."

"This is not a competition, you know," he said. He wanted to make sure she didn't feel like he was forcing her.

"Hell it is! Are you scared or anything?"

"No."

"Let's do it then!"

They put their skis back on and adjusted their goggles. "Let's try and steer clear of the jumper, shall we?" John said. "We wouldn't want to hit the good doctor. Or his precious machine."

"You got it," Nina replied.

"So… you ready?"

"Yes!" she cried and took off.

"Cheating!" he yelled, but of course she couldn't hear him now, and with a loud curse he went after her.

The speed was incredible. He could see nothing but white. He felt the wind in his face and it almost made him lose his breath. Then he spotted something dark ahead of him, a little to his left, and realized it was Nina. He bent down to gain more speed.

He was about to catch up with her when he heard the rumble from behind…

* * *

Radek Zelenka was puzzled by the strange EM-readings he was getting from his machine. The machine was however not equipped with sensors, and so there was no way he could determine where the radiation came from or what was the cause of it. But whatever it was, it had to be something big, he realized.

"Colonel…," he began before he remembered that Colonel Sheppard had taken off with the tall blonde. Why had he brought that woman along anyway? Radek wondered. Probably for his own amusement, he answered his own question, and snorted. The man was such a womanizer. No wonder Rodney always called him 'Captain Kirk'.

He glanced at his watch. The others had been gone for several hours now. He popped his head out from the trench and tried to spot them on the hillside, but he couldn't see them. Then he glanced around at all the whiteness, suddenly feeling exposed and very alone.

Muttering a little to himself he bent down over the machine again, looking at the readings. He suddenly noticed something else. The scale showing the measured seismographic activity suddenly peaked, far above the normal levels. How very odd…

Then he felt the ground beneath him shake. Very little and hardly noticeable at first, then more and more. Earthquake? His heart began beating frantically as he popped his head up from the trench once more. And then he saw it…

An avalanche. Tumbling from the highest peak in the area came tons and tons of snow, whirling up into the air like a thick fog. It made a deafening sound, and just in front of it Radek could make out two tiny dark spots racing downhill. He swallowed hard, but realized he himself was out of harms way. He just stood there – paralyzed, watching the two skiers apparently trying to outrun the massive wall of snow closing in on them, but Radek knew the attempt was futile. And still, when the tumbling snow finally caught up with the two dark spots and consumed them, he felt his pounding heart sink.

The snow roared past him and the jumper like a flooding river, and crashed into the valley below. And suddenly everything was very quiet, and all Radek could hear was his own heavy breathing. _"Ježišmarija," _he muttered, and ran as fast as he could in the deep snow over to the jumper to call Atlantis.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

The hillside was soon swarming with people. Mr. Woolsey hadn't spared any of the available expedition members. Everyone was ordered out to help searching for the Atlantis military leader and his companion.

Sheppard's team had been onboard the first jumper to emerge from the orbital Stargate and land on the planet's surface, right next to the one already there. Ronon and Teyla were already making themselves busy helping with the search, but Rodney McKay spent most of his time pacing back and forth and around in circles, only stopping now and then to berate Zelenka.

"It's that stupid machine of yours," he said. "Look what it's done!"

"It's not the machine!" Zelenka snapped back. "It _measures _seismographic activity, it doesn't _create _it. You're a physicist, you should know!"

"I'm telling you, Radek, if Sheppard's…" He couldn't get himself to finish the sentence.

Zelenka's face softened with sympathy. "I'm sure we'll find him, Rodney."

"How?" Rodney barked, waving an arm around. "He could be anywhere!"

"No, not anywhere," Radek said. "According to my calculations they have to be somewhere around… here." He pointed to an area in the lower part of the slope, now thoroughly searched by people with poles and scanners.

"Your calculations…"

"Yes!" Radek interrupted, the tone in his voice heavy with suppressed anger and impatience. "I know exactly where they were when the avalanche hit them. Then I've estimated the speed of the snow and how far the impact will have brought them. It's all a matter of simple mathematics. I shouldn't have to explain this to you."

"You _don't!_" Rodney cried.

Dr. Jennifer Keller had been close by, listening in on the banter, and now she chose to intervene. "Rodney," she said softly and came over to touch his arm. "I know you're worried, honey. But this _really_ isn't helping."

Rodney didn't answer. He only clenched his fists and took a deep breath to steady himself. Jennifer patted him on his back, as Zelenka softly shook his head and went over to talk to the geologists who were in charge of securing the area.

"Who's the woman?" Jennifer asked.

"Who?" Rodney answered.

"The woman John was here with. The one we're looking for."

"Oh. Dr… Something-with-a-D. Never heard of her before."

"Dahl," Jennifer said.

"What?"

"Her name is Dahl."

"Oh. Okay. I think she's new. But I wouldn't know."

Jennifer smiled a little. "You've got _that_ right."

"I've met her." Major Lorne came up beside them. He was the one Woolsey had put in charge of supervising the search. "We were on the same shipment when I arrived back from my last trip to Earth a month and a half ago. She's Scandinavian… Norwegian, I think. Seemed like a nice girl."

Jennifer sighed. "God, I hope they're okay."

It was easy to read from Lorne's grim face that he didn't think so. Jennifer tried to clear her mind of the negative and pessimistic thoughts, and checked her medical supplies for the umpteenth time since arriving.

Zelenka suddenly reappeared next to them, together with a spectacled, broad-shouldered man. "Major, we have a problem," the Czech panted.

"What?"

"This is Dr. Schwenzer, head of the Geology Department. He… Eh, well, _you _tell him." He gestured to the other man and stepped back.

Dr. Schwenzer nodded as Lorne and the others turned their attention to him. "My people have finished their inspection," he began. His voice was deep and he spoke with a thick, German-sounding accent. "The ground on the top of the peak is very unstable. There will be another avalanche."

Jennifer felt her heart sink. "When?"

"It can happen anytime. We will have to clear the area right away, or other people could get hurt or killed."

"No!" Rodney barked. "We have to find Sheppard… I mean, _them,_ first."

They all looked to Lorne, who pensively shifted his gaze between the geologist and the search-area. "Are you certain?" he asked Dr. Schwenzer.

"I wouldn't have said so if I weren't," the man replied.

"Alright…"

Ronon and Teyla joined them just then. "What's going on?" the big Satedan asked.

"They want us to stop the search!" Rodney exclaimed.

"What?" Ronon turned and pierced Major Lorne with his eyes.

"The ground is unstable," Lorne said, not even flinching under the stern gaze. "We could lose more people."

"I'll keep on searching 'til I find him," Ronon hissed. "You try and stop me."

"We cannot just leave them," Teyla said. "What if they are still alive?"

"What you mean _if _they are still alive?" Rodney said. Teyla didn't reply.

"Look, this is not an easy decision…" Lorne began, but stopped in the middle of the sentence. He lifted his gaze and looked at the people still searching the lower parts of the slope. "Alright," he decided, "if people volunteer to do so, they can stay for another hour. But then I'm ordering everyone back."

"An hour?" Rodney barked. "It's like finding the famous needle and you give us an _hour_?"

"You better start helping out, then," Lorne replied. Rodney gave him a sour look.

"Why can't we use the scanners and search for their subcutaneous transmitters?" Teyla asked.

"We are," Zelenka answered. "But something's interfering with the signals, making them hard to pick up."

"What is?" Ronon asked.

Zelenka shrugged. "We don't know. But there's something here radiating a lot of EM."

"Well, that's very interesting," Rodney said sarcastically. "But we have two people to find and an hour to do it in," he scowled at Lorne who just shook his head, "so let's save this discussion for later."

Just then a call came from the search-area as the first find was made. A pair of ski goggles labelled _J.S._ was retrieved from the snow, and everyone hurried over to where they had been found.

"They must be close by," Zelenka said and checked his scanner again. "Yes. Yes! I'm picking up a signal from a subcutaneous transmitter."

Rodney nudged the scanner out of the Czech's hands and pushed him out of the way. "It's that woman's," he stated. "Right below us."

Everybody started digging, except Rodney who wandered a little around with the scanner, obviously trying to pick up Sheppard's transmitter as well, and Jennifer who stepped back, her medical equipment at hand, ready to jump in as soon as she was needed.

It wasn't long before they heard muffled sounds beneath, and next the top of Dr. Dahl's blonde head became visible. Lorne went down on his knees and used his hands do dig the head free of the snow. As soon as her face was clear, she took a deep breath. "Oh God," she gasped. "I was about to run out of air."

Jennifer stooped down next to her. "Don't move! Does it hurt anywhere?"

"I think I'm fine," the blonde replied as she tried to break free of the snow. People around her dug frantically to help her.

"But you can't be!" Jennifer exclaimed. It was just not possible. The woman had just been hit by several tons of snow! One just wasn't that lucky. "Stop moving."

A little reluctant Dahl obliged, and waited while the others carefully dug her free, giving Jennifer access to examine her. "Any sudden pains?" she asked.

"No," Dahl replied, a little impatient. "I told you, I'm fine." Then her head snapped up, her eyes wide. "John?"

"We're still looking," Jennifer said softly.

"He was right in front of me. He…" And before Jennifer could stop her, the woman had gotten to her feet, a little unsteady, but seemingly unharmed.

"Careful!" Jennifer said, gesturing for one of the marines to step in and help steady the woman.

"I got him!" came a cry from Rodney at the exact same moment, as he looked at the scanner in his hand. "He's _under_ her!"

The soldier draped Dahl's arm over his shoulder and carefully helped her out of the way, as everybody immediately went to work again. The woman looked wide-eyed at the much-changed area around her. "_Å faen,_" she said.

"Let's get you back to Atlantis," Jennifer soothed, and watched in amazement as the blonde made her way towards the jumpers, with just a little help from the marine. This was just unbelievable.

She turned to look at all the digging people. If only John had been just as lucky…

"John!" Rodney shouted downwards as the hole they dug got deeper and deeper. "Dig faster!" he added, directed to the others, but everybody was of course already digging as fast as they could.

Jennifer bit her lip and waited for a few minutes that felt like years. And then Lorne finally yelled out. "Here he is!"

He'd dug out a nose, and hurriedly he and Ronon managed to get the rest of the face free. Jennifer jumped down in the hole and knelt down beside him. "John?" she said, reaching out to feel for a pulse.

Then the colonel suddenly coughed, opened his eyes and peered at her through snow-covered lashes. "I'm not sure I like skiing anymore," he mumbled.

Everyone exhaled at once and laughed a little out of pure relief. "Oh, John," Jennifer smiled.

* * *

Rodney entered the infirmary and came to a full stop in the doorway, struck by the scene that awaited him there. Teyla, Ronon and Zelenka were all standing around Sheppard's bed, but it was the colonel himself that had caught Rodney's attention. "Wo-ho!" the Canadian yelled and laughed.

John scowled back at him. He had both his arms in cast, and clearly didn't find his predicament as amusing as Rodney did.

"Both of them?" Rodney grinned. "Oh, this is just… Wow!" He laughed again.

"Stop teasing him, Rodney," Jennifer said as she came out from her office. "This isn't funny."

"It really is not," Teyla agreed.

"Oh, come on!" Rodney said. "He's without his arms, for Pete's sake! How _will_ he cope? Oh yeah, this is going to be entertaining."

Ronon grinned. "Actually it is a little funny."

The two women both shook their heads, and Teyla gave John a pat on one of his legs. "We are glad you are not more seriously hurt."

John smiled weakly at her and sighed.

Jennifer nodded. "You were lucky," she said. "Both of you," she added as Dahl came around a corner carrying a tray full of Jell-O of various sorts and colors.

"So this is where all the Jell-O went!" Rodney exclaimed, scowling disapprovingly at the Norwegian. "You can't take all of it!"

"It's for John," Dahl said. "And I didn't know which flavor he prefers, so I brought them all." She smiled at the colonel and set the tray down on the nightstand.

"Thank you," John said, and instantly looked a little happier.

"The least I could do. After all, I did play my part in all of this. If I hadn't kicked your ass out there, you wouldn't have been so reckless."

"Kicked my…? You didn't kick my ass!" But he smiled broadly as he said it.

"I won all the races," she pointed out.

"Oh no, not the last one. I was ahead of you when the avalanche hit us."

"That doesn't count," she laughed. "And besides, _I _was on top when they found us."

The others just stared at them, but John ignored it. "Rematch," he said. "As soon as I have my arms back."

"You're on," Dahl smiled.

Zelenka mumbled something unintelligible, and Jennifer sighed, "Wear a helmet."

John grinned and looked at Radek. "It didn't hit _you_?"

"No," the Czech replied curtly.

"He was busy making avalanches!" Rodney barked, and Radek sighed and rolled his eyes.

"It wasn't him," Dahl said. "It was…"

She exchanged looks with Sheppard. "Us," they both stated.

Then Dahl turned towards the tray. "Now, which one do you want?"

"Cherry," John said.

"I suppose I will have to spoon-feed you?"

"I suppose you will," he smiled.

Rodney grimaced. "Oh _please_!"

Just then Richard Woolsey entered the infirmary, Major Lorne in tow. They both stopped and frowned when they saw John, and Lorne in particular had a hard time trying to cover up a smile.

"Hm," Woolsey said. "Looks like you'll be out of action for some time, Colonel."

"At least for six weeks," Jennifer answered for him.

"How are you planning to use the toilet?" Rodney suddenly asked, making both Ronon and Lorne snort with laughter. John sent all three of them a piercing look.

"Jokes aside," Woolsey said in a stern voice, his face grave. "We have just received word from the geology team that stayed behind on MX1-375. There has been a second avalanche."

"Yes?" Rodney said, wondering why the expedition leader had bothered to go all the way down to the infirmary just to tell them that.

He soon got his answer, as Woolsey added, "It unveiled something hidden underneath the snow and ice. Something that would explain your strange EM-readings, Doctor," he said to Zelenka.

"What?" the Czech asked, a concerned frown on his face.

Woolsey inhaled. "A Wraith hive ship."


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

Because of Sheppard's incapacitation Major Lorne was the one leading the colonel's team back to MX1-375 and the newly discovered hive. A group of marines had cleared an entrance, but no one had yet entered the ship.

Rodney could feel that well-known ambivalence he always felt on off-world missions of this kind. On one hand there was the possibility of new, intriguing discoveries, on the other he knew by now that something dangerous was bound to happen. But as always his curiosity kept him going and he was on his toes with impatience, eager to see the inside.

Lorne carefully stepped up beside the entrance and looked at the others. Along with Sheppard's team he'd brought five marines and Radek Zelenka. The Czech was in the middle of the group, looking even smaller than usual in the heavy winter clothes. He glanced around nervously.

"Alright," Lorne said. "Ronon and I will go first. Sergeant Jackson and Teyla, cover our six. The rest of you stay in the middle and keep your eyes open."

Everyone nodded and they carefully entered the hive and started making their way down the long corridors. "Any life-signs?" Lorne whispered.

Rodney checked the life-sign detector in his hand. "No one but us," he replied.

"They… they could be hibernating," Zelenka stuttered.

"I do not sense any," Teyla said from the rear of the group. "I believe this hive is abandoned."

"Good," Rodney said. "Now, find me a control station. I'd like to get started."

They turned a corner. The corridor suddenly ended in a huge hall, and Ronon stopped in the doorway. "There are Wraith here," he said calmly and almost matter-of-factly.

Zelenka flinched and instinctively stepped back a few steps, right into a marine. It caused a little racket as the young private lost his footing and dropped his flashlight unto the ground. "Watch it!" he hissed.

Rodney scowled at Zelenka. "They're _dead,_" he said. He had been able to peer around Ronon and see the bodies scattered in the room. Zelenka straightened himself and offered muttered apologies to the marine. Rodney shook his head. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"The major told me to come," Radek answered. "After all I was the one who discovered the ship."

Rodney snorted. "Picking up strange EM-readings hardly counts as _discovering_. Technically it was rather Sheppard and that woman who found it when they caused the avalanche to happen."

"Oh, really?" Radek's voice was thick with sarcasm. "I believe you said _I _was the one behind the avalanche."

"So _now _you're willing to admit it?"

"You two, shut up!" Lorne hissed.

"They're dead," Rodney repeated, this time addressed to the major. "No one can hear us."

"_I _can hear you!"

Rodney gave another offended snort. "Then why would you bring along 'Dr. Fumbles'?"

"Because he brings out the best in you when you try to outshine him."

"When I _try _to outshine him?"

"Gentlemen," Teyla said in a calm, but tired voice, and the group fell quiet for a few moments as they piled into the big hall.

Ronon was examining one of the dead Wraith. "Probably been fed upon," he said. "But impossible to tell."

"The ship has been here a very, very long time," Zelenka said.

Rodney rolled his eyes. Once again the Czech was stating the obvious. "Of course it has," he snapped. "It was covered in snow and ice! I'd say at least 10,000 years."

"No wonder they got hungry," Lorne said as he poked one of the dried-out bodies with the barrel of his P90.

Rodney suddenly spotted what he had been looking for. "Ah-ha," he said, and approached the control station as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. He started tapping at the keyboard. "Come on."

Zelenka peered over his shoulder to see what he was doing. "What if you…?"

"Hey, I've done this before, okay?"

"Okay." Zelenka threw up his hands in a defensive manner, stepped back and looked around the room. It was easy to see that he found the place creepy. "Just finish, so we can go home."

It took a little tapping, but finally the skin-like, dusty screen lit up and was filled with Wraith symbols. Rodney smiled, very pleased with himself, and leaned in to study them closer. Linguistics had never been his strong side, and he was unsuccessful in deciphering most of it. "Let's see if I can hook it up to my computer and run it through the translation program," he said. He looked to Zelenka, waiting for him to step in to help, but the Czech just kept gazing nervously around the room. "Radek?" He got no response. "Radek!"

Radek jumped and spun around to face him. "Yes?"

Rodney gestured impatiently with one arm towards the computer on the floor beside him. "Make yourself useful."

Zelenka said nothing, he just went to work, and soon the contents of the Wraith database was being downloaded and displayed on the screen of Rodney's laptop. He smiled satisfied as he ran it through the translation program and it finally started to make sense. "We were right," he proclaimed to the others. "The hive got stranded here during the war against the Ancients more than 10,000 years ago."

Lorne opened his mouth to ask a question, but just then Zelenka's whole body stiffened, and he dropped the tablet he was holding, slowly taking a step backwards.

"Hey!" Rodney said when the tablet hit the ground. "This is expensive equipment!"

But then he saw Radek's face and became quiet. The Czech had turned white as a ghost, he stared at nothing in particular and his breathing became more and more rapid, until it was more like panting.

"Doc?" Lorne asked.

Zelenka's arms suddenly flew up and he covered his ears with his hands. "In my head…" he panted.

Rodney frowned. "What's the matter with you? What's in your head?"

Radek didn't answer, but then Teyla stepped forward and looked surprised and puzzled at him. "Radek, are you sensing it too?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Rodney said.

Teyla turned around to face him, and shifted her gaze between him and Lorne as she spoke. "I sense a Wraith presence," she said, and looked back at Zelenka, "and apparently so does he."

Ronon immediately pulled his gun and let his observant gaze glide across the room, and the marines followed his example. Teyla reached out a hand to touch Radek, but just then he started pounding away at his own head. "Get them out of me!" he screamed. "I want them out of me!"

"Calm down," Teyla said softly. "They cannot hurt you."

If he heard her, he ignored her. He just frantically waved his hands around as if he tried to shake something off of his body.

"Doc!" Lorne shouted, and tried to grab the Czech's flying arms. He looked towards Teyla.

Rodney just stared at the panicking man, blinking lethargically, for a moment or two. Then the realization hit him like a hammer between the eyes, and he snapped his fingers, turning towards the others. "The Wraith stem cells!"

"What?" Lorne asked.

"Last year when Radek got sick with that strange brain-disease… I used Wraith stem cells to treat him. It made him part Wraith… sort of… Oh, God…" He looked back at his ranting co-scientist, his eyes wide with shock. "I never thought _this _would be a side-effect."

"I want them out of me," Zelenka whimpered as Lorne finally managed to get hold of his arms.

"Calm down!" the major said firmly, and Radek snapped out of his state long enough to meet his eyes. "Alright." Lorne's voice was soft and steady, and he turned to one of the marines. "Sergeant, get Zelenka out of here. Go back to Atlantis and then send another jumper to come pick us up."

Sergeant Jackson nodded and carefully nudged Zelenka along, leading him towards the exit, P90 at the ready.

The others watched them go, and then Lorne cocked his weapon. "Let's find this thing."

* * *

A few hours later, as Teyla and the others entered the Control Room after returning from MX1-375, they were met by Woolsey, Keller and Sheppard. The colonel had apparently talked the young doctor into letting him out of the infirmary, but he looked rather comical sitting there with his casted arms, and Teyla silently had to admit to herself that this whole thing was indeed a little amusing.

Woolsey stepped impatiently forward as soon as he saw them. "What happened?" he asked.

"There was only one," Lorne said. "It's dead now. Didn't give us much trouble."

"It was a drone," Ronon added, "and a really stupid one."

Woolsey nodded comprehensively. "And you are certain there are no more?"

"Not according to Teyla," Lorne said. "Or the life-sign detector."

Teyla nodded affirmatively as the expedition leader shifted his gaze to her. "I sense no more."

"What was going on with Zelenka?" Keller asked with a worried frown on her face, as she stepped up beside Woolsey. "He was hysterical. Shouting something about a Wraith in his head."

"He sensed the Wraith," Teyla replied. "Like me."

Woolsey grimaced. "He did? How can that be?"

"Rodney thinks it is because of the Wraith stem cell treatment he received last year."

"It's the only explanation," Rodney added.

Keller's eyes grew wide. "Oh dear…"

"But that's more than six months ago," Sheppard said from his chair. "And he's been in close proximity to several Wraith since, and he hasn't sensed any of those."

Rodney shrugged. "Maybe it needs time to… you know… kick in."

Keller covered her mouth with her hand. "The poor thing. It must have been terrifying."

Teyla nodded. "Yes. I have had this ability all my life and it still chills me to the bone whenever it happens. To experience it quite suddenly as a grown-up…" She shook her head. "I do not blame him for his hysterical behavior."

Woolsey looked from her to Rodney. "So what are we going to do about it?"

"I don't think there's anything we _can _do," Rodney replied, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other. "The Wraith cells are a part of his body now. We can't just simply remove them." He paused and then added, "He will have to learn to live with it."

"Where is he?" Teyla asked.

"Infirmary," Keller answered. "I gave him a sedative."

Silence fell between them for a moment. Then Woolsey straightened his back. "I will have him talk to the base's psychologist."

"Perhaps _I _should talk to him?" Teyla offered. "After all I know what it is like."

Woolsey nodded. "You're right."

"But not now," Jennifer said. "Let him rest first."

"Of course," Teyla nodded.

"Well, that settled," Rodney exclaimed and clapped his hands together, "the hive ship is officially cleared of Wraith. We can begin deploying science teams."

Woolsey lifted his eyebrows. "To do what?"

"Oh, I want to bring some of the Wraith equipment back to Atlantis," Rodney innocently explained. "If that's fine by you, of course," he added, remembering who called the shots.

"Alright," Woolsey said. He nodded his goodbye to each of them and left.

Jennifer turned towards Teyla. "Are you in for girls' poker night tonight?" she asked.

"Yes," Teyla smiled. "I am looking forward to it."

"See you there, then," the physician said and followed Rodney out of the room.

* * *

Girls' poker night was the only spare time activity besides meditation and sparring that Teyla rarely missed. After she'd had Torren, there had been less time to socialize with the others expedition members, and these nights were important to her. She wasn't that much into the game, but she enjoyed spending time with the Atlantis females, talking about men, listening to the latest gossip and just having a good time.

When she entered the game room later that night, she saw a new face among the participants. It was Dr. Dahl, the woman that John had gone skiing with and who so amazingly had crawled unharmed out of the avalanche. Teyla smiled at her as she took her seat. Marie, the Atlantis head nurse, was already dealing. "Five cards, deuces are wild," she said.

As she picked up her cards, Teyla stole another glance at Dr. Dahl. She still wasn't sure of what to think about the woman. She seemed a little wild and crazy, but on the other hand she'd brought a sparkle to John's eyes. A sparkle that had been there when Teyla had first met the man, but she hadn't seen for a long time now. He just hadn't been himself lately, and Teyla really couldn't blame him. With herself and Rodney and Ronon all in established relationships, he probably felt alone. _He needs someone, _she thought. _And it might be her._

It was certainly a beautiful woman, she decided after studying her for a moment. She was tall and thin; her hair was cut short like a boy's, and so blonde that it almost looked white. Dahl must have felt her scrutinizing glare, because she looked up and their eyes met.

Suddenly they heard the sound of a hissing radio, and Teyla saw an earpiece lying on the table next to her. She picked it up and put it on. "Yes?"

"_What you wearing?_"she heard John's teasing voice.

"My traditional Athosian clothing," she smiled, realizing he wasn't talking to her.

"_Teyla?_" he said. "_Hi._"

"Hi, John," she replied, and the girls around her giggled.

"_Eh…,_" he began.

"She's right here," Teyla smiled, pulling out the earpiece and handing it to Dahl.

The Norwegian grinned and answered the radio. "It's girls' poker night, John, you're not supposed to disturb us," she said. They heard Sheppard say something. "You want me to come and do what?" Dahl replied and then smiled, "Yes, I thought you might prefer me over Dr. Keller." She smiled apologetically and winked at Keller as she added that last bit. Jennifer just chuckled.

Teyla laughed too. "Go," she said and nudged the blonde on her way. "Go take care of him." And as she watched Dahl leave the room, she decided she could learn to like this woman. As long as John was happy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

The next day Teyla found Zelenka in his lab. He seemed to be concentrating deeply on his work, but Teyla knew how to read people well enough to see this was not the case. He was sitting with his back against her, but she could still see how he stopped now and then to shift his gaze from the computer screen and stare at something invisible in front of him.

"Hello," she said softly.

He flinched and jumped in his seat and spun around so fast that his glasses slid down to the very tip of his nose. His eyes were wide and surprised as he looked at her and slowly exhaled. Then he pushed his glasses back in place and forced a little smile. "Hello."

"I did not mean to scare you," she smiled.

"It wasn't you," he said, looking down at his shaking hands. "I'm just a little… jumpy. Sorry."

"Do not apologize," she said and came closer. "Least of all to me."

He looked at her for a moment, then nodded pensively and turned back to the screen. She carefully reached out a hand and touched his shoulder. "I know it is frightening."

She could feel his body stiffen under her touch and removed her hand. But then he turned in his chair and glanced up at her. "I suppose you do," he said.

She smiled a little and tried to hold on to his flickering gaze. "But the feeling that you yourself is the one in control, makes it _less_ frightening," she said.

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

She replied with a question of her own, "Why don't you come with me to the gym?"

"The gym?" he repeated and raised his eyebrows. "Do I look like a person who goes to the gym?"

Her smile broadened. "Just to… what's the expression… unwind. Do some breathing exercises. Meditate. It will help you relax."

He looked sceptical. "I'm not one for meditation."

"It would do you good," she pressed on. "Give it a try."

He glanced around the room, which was deserted except for the two of them. "Now?"

"If you are not busy."

He looked at his computer screen. "I should be," he sighed. "But I find it hard to concentrate, I must admit."

"Well, that settles it," she smiled. "Come."

He considered it for a few more moments, then he hit the save button and got to his feet. "Okay."

They didn't talk while they walked to the gym. Teyla could easily sense how stressed out and tense he was, but she didn't really know what more to say. She had a feeling that no words she spoke would have much real impact on him, anyway. This was more about listening. The best she could do now was to take the time to hear whatever he felt like telling her, either with words or simply by the language of his body.

They arrived at the gym to find it empty, just as Teyla had hoped. She rolled out a couple of mats, one for each of them. "Please sit," she invited as she sat down herself.

He hesitated a little, but eventually sat down on his mat, facing her. She smiled encouraging. "Are you comfortable?"

"Not really, no," he answered, so delightfully honest.

"It is alright," she said. "Just take deep breaths and lower your shoulders. There is nothing to be afraid of here."

He nodded, changed his position a little and inhaled deeply a couple of times.

"Good," she smiled. "Now close your eyes and clear your mind. Let go of everything that troubles you."

"Just like that?" he said with a deep frown.

"Try it," she just replied and closed her own eyes, hoping he'd feel a little less scrutinized and a little more relaxed if she did so. She started concentrating on her own breathing and it only took her a few moments to find that peaceful place inside of her.

After a while she opened her eyes to peer at Zelenka. He had his eyes closed and seemed a little more relaxed than before, if not completely. "Very good, Radek," she whispered. "Now, pretend there are Wraith nearby and open your mind to them."

His eyes flashed open. "Why?" he exclaimed. "Why would I open my mind to the Wraith?"

"Because then _you_ are the one in control," she said. "But of course, if you do not want to, you do not have to."

"Good," he said.

"But I promise," she added, "that it will make it feel less scary."

"Okay…" he said, looking a little reluctant. "How… how do I do it?"

"Like I said," she replied. "You concentrate on the Wraith presence. You open your mind to it." He gave her a puzzled frown, and she smiled, "It is not easy the first time. But as soon as you have learned it…"

"I don't want to learn it," he interrupted. "I just want to stay as far away from any Wraith as possible."

"Do you want to go back to Earth?" she asked, thinking perhaps that was what he meant.

He thought about it for a few moments. "No," he eventually answered. "I want to stay. But…" He shifted nervously on his mat, looking uncomfortable.

"Radek," she said earnestly, and carefully took his hand. "This," she said, pointing to his head and then to her own, "is a gift."

He snorted. "Some gift! And of course Rodney had to be the one giving it to me…"

"Rodney saved your life," she said, sounding a little strict.

He looked away and sighed. "I know. And I don't want to sound ungrateful, because I'm glad he did it. I really am."

She squeezed his hand. "Fine. And I meant what I said; it is a gift. You will learn to live with it, and when you do, you will realize this."

He pulled his hand away from hers. "I don't think I can." He got to his feet. "Thank you," he said, and he truly sounded like he meant it. "But I'm not like you, Teyla. I can't meditate. I can't relax."

And by that he turned around and hurried out of the room. She silently watched him go and her heart bled for him. She knew she had to find a way to help him embrace his new abilities; the sooner he did so, the easier it would be for him. But now she wondered if perhaps she had put too much pressure on him too soon.

* * *

As Rodney and his science team emerged from the Stargate and piled into the Atlantis Gateroom, John wanted to wave at him from his position on the top of the stairs. A little late he remembered he couldn't do so, and ended up with shooting pains in both his arms, feeling really stupid. Luckily, no one else appeared to have seen his sorry excuse for a wave, which wasn't so hard to understand, as the heavy cast made any movement almost impossible to detect.

He yelled instead. "McKay!"

Rodney glanced up at him and nodded curtly, before he turned towards a couple of young junior scientists walking past him carrying a huge, disgusting-looking piece of Wraith equipment, and barked, "Careful with that!"

The scientists mumbled something and scowled at him when he turned his back on them. It made John smile a little.

Rodney followed the rest of his people with a sceptical gaze as they left the room with the newfound 'treasures', and then headed up the stairs to join John at the upper level. "Find anything interesting?" John asked.

"Not as much as I hoped," Rodney frowned. "But enough to make myself busy the next week or so." He glanced at John's arms. "How are you holding up?"

"Just fine," John lied.

"You know, it looks uncomfortable."

"It is."

"You probably need a lot of help."

"I am not going to tell you how I use the toilet!" John snapped.

"I didn't ask," Rodney replied, sounding a little offended. He looked around the room. "Seen Zelenka?"

"Think he's with Teyla."

"With _Teyla_?"

"Yes," John said. "She's starting a 'We-who-sense-the-Wraith-club', or something." When Rodney still looked puzzled, he added, "She's giving him meditation lessons."

"Zelenka _meditating_?" Rodney grimaced. "Doesn't sound right."

John tried to shrug and found it to be impossible with the casted arms. "Probably wouldn't hurt him to unwind a little."

"Yeah, yeah," Rodney said, not really listening. "I better go find him. We have work to do." He started walking away.

"Hey," John called out, and Rodney stopped and turned back towards him. "Why not give him the day off? He did have a rather trying day yesterday."

"So did you."

"Yes, and I _am _having the day off. And the next six weeks too." He sighed as he added that last part. This sucked.

"Alright," mumbled Rodney, "he can have the day off. It's not that I _need _him or anything…" He walked away.

"Have fun with your new Wraith toys," John called after him, and then glanced around the room. The technicians around the control station were all busy with their work. He was not needed here. Not that he would be much help anyway…

He left the Control Room and made his way to the part of the city where most of the personal quarters were situated. He met some people on the way. They all stepped politely to the side to let him pass or opened doors for him, as he had a little trouble doing it himself, but it only made him feel even more pathetic.

He was glad when he finally reached the room he'd been looking for. He turned sideways and bent down awkwardly to push the doorbell and stepped back a little. "So this is where you live?" he asked with a smile when Nina Dahl opened the door.

She smiled back and leaned against the doorway. "Well, good day, Colonel," she said. "What brings you here?"

He leaned in towards her. "I need you to scratch my nose."

She chuckled and stepped aside. "Do you wanna come in?"

He entered her room and looked curiously around. Like in most living quarters on Atlantis, the furnishings and décor was rather Spartan: A bed, a small table, a couple of chairs. The personal items included framed photographs, a laptop and an outworn furry toy lying on the bed. The only thing that really stood out was the stuffed head of a rein deer nailed to the wall.

He stopped to have a closer look at it. "You're admiring Sverre?" she asked.

'Admiring' was probably not exactly the word _he'd_ use, John thought to himself. He found the animal to be a little… over the top. But out loud all he said was, "Sverre?"

"Yes, he's named after the famous _birkebeiner _king."

He turned towards her. "The what?"

She smiled. "I suppose I can't expect you to be _that _skilled in Norwegian history."

"Not my strongest side, no."

"Sverre was the leader of a bunch of poor farmers in Norway in the Middle Ages called the _birkebeiner_s. He claimed to be a prince and somehow managed to get himself crowned king in the end."

"Any connections between him and rein deer?"

"No, not really. Just think it's a cool name."

He saw something shiny hanging from the rein deer's antlers and got up on his toes to have a closer look. It turned out to be ID tags, which surprised him a little. "Are you military?" he asked.

She saw what he was looking at. "Ex-military," she replied. "In His Majesty the King of Norway's army. I made it to sergeant before I quit."

He looked at her and smiled. "I should have known."

She returned the smile and gestured to the chairs. "Have a seat."

He didn't sit down, but walked up to her and stopped so that his face was right in front of hers. She silently watched him as he closed in on her, the shade of a smile lurking in the corner of her mouth. "Are you alright?" she asked, and her eyes twinkled.

"I think I will be."

She smiled and moved in even closer. "Oh, you will."

They kissed. He wished he could put his arms around her, it felt silly and awkward standing there with his arms popped out in front of him. Instead she was the one embracing him. Firmly and a little rough, just the way he liked it. Her hands played with the hair in his neck and she softly bit his lower lip, and they stumbled across the floor towards the bed and she pushed him down on it.

He lay on his back watching her as she started unbuttoning his pants. "Is the door closed?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" she smiled, with a teasing gleam in her eye.

No, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered now. Not that Teyla was a mother and a wife, not that Rodney was with Keller, not that Ronon had fallen in love with that Banks girl at the control station. It did no longer matter that there were Wraith out there, and rogue Genii, and unthankful civilisations throughout the galaxy. It did no longer matter that he was tired and uncharacteristically pensive and could no longer picture his future, that he didn't know where he was headed, or that he felt that he actually wasn't headed anywhere at all. It did not even matter that both his arms were broken and he couldn't use the toilet on his own.

Nothing mattered. Nothing except this moment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

Teyla made her way through the city with Torren on her arm. He was almost a year and a half now and very active. He looked curiously at everything around him and kicked with his little legs to get her to put him down. "Not now, darling," Teyla said. "You can run around later. We have something important to do first."

She turned a corner and found the right corridor, counting the doors to find the room she was looking for. A couple of days had passed since the incident between her and Zelenka in the gym, and she had hardly seen him since. She didn't know if he had been avoiding her on purpose, but the thought gnawed on her, and she strongly felt the need to apologize.

She rang the doorbell and the door was opened almost immediately. Radek seemed surprised to see her. "Hello?" he said.

"Hi," she replied, as she shifted her grip on Torren a little and hoisted him higher.

"I've been meaning to come and find you," Zelenka said before she had a chance to continue. "You know, to apologize."

"Apologize?" she said, taken a little by surprise.

"For storming out like I did," he said.

She looked at him and smiled mildly. "Radek, I have come to apologize to _you._"

He raised his eyebrows. "You have?"

"Yes. I put to much pressure on you. I am sorry."

"Oh…" He looked somewhat puzzled, but then he smiled a little. "Don't worry. It's okay." He shifted his gaze to Torren, who looked wide-eyed back at him.

"Are you sure?" Teyla asked.

Radek looked back at her. "Would you like to come in?" was all he said. She nodded with a smile, and he stepped aside and allowed her to pass with Torren still in her arms.

Teyla had known Zelenka for more than five years, but she had never seen the inside of his quarters before. She looked around, taking in all the details. The room was clean and tidy, except for a few pieces of Ancient devices strewn across the table and the floor. The bed was made, and there were framed photographs of friends and family on the nightstand. Unlike Rodney Radek had _not_ decorated the walls with diplomas and pictures of himself, but with colorful posters of various birds. She had to smile. "You like the birds," she commented.

He laughed nervously. "Yes. Watching birds, even if just in pictures, makes me feel less… trapped."

She turned towards him. He looked serious. "I can understand that," she said, and turned back to study a big aerial photograph of a city. "Is this Prague?" she asked. Radek often spoke of his homeland's capital.

"Yes," he said.

"It is beautiful," she smiled.

She took a seat and put Torren down on floor, keeping him within an arm's length to prevent him from touching things he was not supposed to. The boy toddled off and began tugging at a blanket folded over a chair. Zelenka let him. For a person who claimed he didn't like kids, he was awfully relaxed around her son, Teyla thought. And just then she spotted the musical instrument situated in a corner of the room. It was a wooden string instrument, a little less than four feet tall, including a long pin at the bottom. "What is that?" she asked, nodding towards it.

He turned to look. "It's called a cello," he said.

"Do you play it?" she asked curiously.

He shrugged a little. "Occasionally."

She smiled and reached out a hand to stop Torren from chewing on the blanket. "Will you play for me?"

"Eh, now?"

"Yes," she nodded.

He hesitated a little, but eventually he got to his feet to collect the instrument. "Okay," he said and sat down on a chair with the cello in front of him. He picked up the bow and tuned the strings a little.

And then he played. And the sound of that instrument… As the strings vibrated, Teyla could feel how they made her own heart vibrate as well, and how they gave her goose bumps all over her body. The music emitting from the cello was so beautiful and melancholic; she had never heard anything like it before. Torren stopped what he was doing and turned towards Zelenka, and just watched him wide-eyed while he played. And when the music stopped, the little boy reached out his chubby hand and said, "Moh." Zelenka obliged and played a little faster, merrier tune this time. Torren gave a cry of joy and bounced up and down to the music, clapping his hands. It made Teyla laugh and Zelenka smile the first _real_ smile in days.

"He likes it," Teyla said when Radek stopped playing. "And so does his mother."

"Thank you." Radek smiled shyly.

"I cannot believe Mr. Woolsey has not asked you to perform in the mess hall yet."

"Oh, he has," the Czech said. "And I sort of told him I would. But who has the time?" He shrugged and rose to put the cello away. "I don't often play for others," he added.

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I guess I don't really see it as entertainment. I play because it helps me relax."

She smiled understandingly. "I see. This is _your_ way of meditating." He gave her a puzzled look, and she decided to press the subject. She lifted Torren up on her knee. "Radek, have you been having nightmares?"

He looked away and nodded. "Yes."

"So have I," she said. "It is quite common after close encounters with Wraith."

He sighed and seemed to get lost in his own thoughts for a few moments. Then he turned back towards her and met her eyes. "Can you help me?"

"You know I will help you wherever I can, Radek," she said.

"I want to try meditation again."

She smiled. "That is good. We can start tonight. Meet me in the gym around eight?"

He nodded. "Thank you."

"Thank _you,_" she said. "For the music. And for putting your trust in me."

* * *

John was starting to feel really frustrated. He had been without his arms for more than a week now and things were _not_ getting any easier. He needed help with _everything,_ and that was a position he was not used to be in. Keller sent nurses to his room every morning to help him get washed, dressed and shaved. He hated it. _Especially_ because these women never could get his hair right. Using the toilet was another thing he _particularly_ dreaded and tried to avoid as much as possible.

Luckily he had Nina. Very often she would come by his room, sending the nurses on their way, helping him out herself, and that at least made this whole ordeal feel much more… sexy.

This afternoon he was on his way to the mess hall to find some company. It was a quiet day on Atlantis. Teyla had gone with Kanaan and Torren to New Athos to visit friends and family, Rodney was still busy playing with his new Wraith toys, and Ronon was probably hitting something somewhere.

He turned the last corner before the mess hall, and was glad when he saw Nina standing there. She was having a conversation with a short, curvy woman with long red hair, and she flashed him a smile when she saw him coming. "John!"

"Hi," he replied in his most flirty tone as he approached them

"This is my friend, Inge," Nina said, introducing the other woman. "Dr. Inge Sørensen."

And now John recognized the redhead as the woman who sometimes sang in the mess hall during Mr. Woolsey's so-called 'cultural lunches'. "Hello," he said and nodded curtly.

"Hello, nice to meet you," Dr. Sørensen replied. Her long flaming red hair made John think of his first Wraith Queen, without making invidious comparisons. The flag patch on her shoulder showed him she was Danish. He remembered the flag from Afghanistan where Denmark had been an ally. She winked at him. "I won't keep her. I'm just waiting for someone." She looked at Nina. "She's probably been held up."

"Probably," Nina agreed and looked at John. "Dr. van der Hagen's with the team investigating the equipment salvaged from the buried hive. That Dr. McKay-guy has them working around the clock."

"Doesn't surprise me," John said.

"I'll call her," Sørensen decided and tapped her radio earpiece. "Hannie?" she said, and then she frowned. "Radio must be down."

"Oh?" John said and bowed his head towards Nina. "Tap my radio." She did and he tried to call, "Rodney?" But all he got was static. "Hm, better go check. You coming?"

Nina told her friend goodbye and came with him to the Control Room. They arrived there to find Rodney McKay already present. He was sitting at the control panel, looking stressed and frustrated and more than a little annoyed. "McKay…?" John began, but was cut short.

"I'm on it! Damn, the city-wide sensors are down too."

"Why?" John asked.

"Ask _him_!" Rodney snapped, scowling at the technician named Chuck.

"I didn't touch anything!" Chuck said defensively, but he was probably aware that Rodney wasn't listening to him at all.

Woolsey and Lorne were also there. Woolsey looked at his Chief Scientist with a deep frown. "What about the deep space sensors?" he asked.

"No, they're on," Rodney replied. "We've only lost the sensors that detect life signs within the city."

"Can you fix it?"

"Of course I can!" Rodney barked and tapped at the keyboard of his computer. "Just give me a minute."

Now John saw that Ronon was there too. He was leaning over Amelia Banks' desk, constantly distracting her from her work with his flirting, which seemed to annoy both Rodney and Chuck a lot.

Just then Radek Zelenka came running into the Gateroom below and hurried up the stairs. "Mr. Woolsey!" he cried. "Rodney!"

"Yes, yes!" Rodney yelled. "I know! The radio's down. I'm on it!"

"No, you don't understand," Zelenka panted, coming to a stop in front of them. "There are Wraith in the city!"

* * *

Radek had been on his way from the mess hall and back to his lab, when that same cold shiver he had felt in the hive went throughout his body once again, followed by the feeling of something cold and evil entering his head, and he knew he was sensing Wraith. First he had stopped dead in his tracks, frozen with fear, but soon he had been able to pull himself together enough to try and radio Mr. Woolsey, only to discover that communications were down. With a loud curse he had run as fast as he could to the Control Room to warn the others, only to find them staring dubious back at him.

"Wraith in Atlantis?" Woolsey repeated.

"It's not possible," Rodney said.

"Hey, I know what I'm sensing!" Radek protested.

Ronon stepped up beside him, looking dead serious. "Do you know where?"

Radek shook his head. "Only that they are inside the city."

"They can't be!" Rodney exclaimed.

Ronon turned towards him. "Can you prove he's not right?"

Rodney looked sheepish. "No. Because the city-wide life signs detectors are not operating."

"Then I'm with _him_," Ronon stated, nodding towards Radek.

"But it doesn't make sense," Rodney said, obviously a little torn. "They can't have entered the city undetected. Like I just said, the deep space sensors are still on and have been operating all the time, and they are not detecting any ships. The only way the Wraith can have entered is through the Stargate, and that has not been activated since Teyla left yesterday."

"Shame Teyla's not here," Woolsey said. "She could have backed up Zelenka's story."

"Why won't you believe me?" Radek cried. What was wrong with these people?

"Yes, why won't you believe him?" Ronon asked. "Teyla's never been wrong, why would _he _be?"

Radek watched as Rodney looked at Ronon, and then turned his gaze towards him. "No offence, Radek, but you haven't had this ability very long, and… you might be a little paranoid…"

"Of course I'm paranoid!" Radek yelled, no longer able to control his anger and frustration. "You would've been too!"

"I'll have a look around," Ronon said calmly and pulled his gun. He stopped and looked at Woolsey. "If you don't mind."

"Eh, no," Woolsey said, and the Satedan left the room.

Radek just stood there on the floor, feeling how the adrenalin in his body made his hands shake. People still looked doubtful at him. "I know what I'm sensing," he repeated, and tried to keep his voice calm.

"Yes, yes," Rodney said. "We should get the sensors back online. Then we'll be able to confirm it."

Radek took the hint and stepped up to the control station to help.

Both he and Rodney and all the technicians went to work, and with combined efforts it only took a few minutes before that Banks girl could declare, "We've got radio."

Lorne quickly tapped his earpiece. "Ronon, do you copy?"

Radek heard static in his own radio receiver and then the Satedan's voice. "_I hear you_."

"Do you see anything?"

"_Not yet_."

"Damn!" Rodney cried after another unsuccessful attempt at bringing the city sensors back to life. "Who was the last person to run a diagnostic on these?"

Banks checked her screen. "That would be Dr. Clarkson," she said.

"Now, where the hell is _he_?" Rodney barked.

"He's with the team you have investigating the Wraith equipment in Lab 8," Sheppard's newest catch said from her position next to the colonel.

Rodney turned to scowl at the blonde as if she had no right to speak up in his presence, but then he just tapped his radio. "Dr. Clarkson?"

There was no answer.

"Dr. Clarkson, please respond," Rodney repeated.

Still only silence, and people started to exchange worried looks.

"Anyone in Lab 8?" Rodney tried.

When he still got no answer, he looked at Woolsey and Lorne. The major took a little step forward, as if ready to jump into action at a second's warning.

The radio hissed. "_I'm close to Lab 8,_" they heard Ronon's voice. He had obviously been listening in. "_You want me to check it out?_"

"Please," said Woolsey.

Silence fell across the room. Nobody said a word; they just looked at each other, waiting for Ronon to make contact again. Radek shifted nervously in his seat at the control station. The chilling feeling in the back of his head would not let go.

Finally the radio hissed again. "_Eh, people?_"

"Have you found them?" Woolsey asked.

"_Yes, I've found them._" Ronon's voice was a little angry. "_They're dead._"

Radek felt his heart sink and he swallowed hard. Around him he heard both Banks and the blonde woman gasp and Sheppard and Lorne curse. Woolsey's eyes were wide and shocked. "Dead? All of them? How?"

Ronon sounded almost a little cynical and matter-of-factly as he answered. "_They've been fed upon._"

And then everyone shifted their gazes to Radek, all looking a mixture between remorseful and baffled. _I told you so, _he thought bitterly to himself, but he didn't say it out loud. He only threw his arms up in frustration and looked away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

If John had really wanted his arms to be healed and fully functional a short time ago, then that was nothing compared to how much he wanted it now. He hurried over to the control station, almost hitting Chuck in the head with his cast as he leaned in and peered over his shoulder. "Ronon?" he said. "You see the Wraith?"

"_No,_" came the short reply, "_but I'll go look._"

"You should come back here. We'll organize some teams."

"_Waste of time. Just send them down here. I'll head out straight away._"

John was about to answer, but then he spotted Woolsey stepping up beside him and looked at him, waiting for his order. The expedition leader pressed his lips together so they assembled a thin line across his face, and then nodded. "Lorne, I need those team organized."

John was about to answer when it dawned on him that the man had been addressing the major. Woolsey must have seen the expression on his face, because he said, "No offence, Colonel, but I do believe you are incapable of performing your normal duties now. As I recall, the major is in charge for the time being."

A part of John wanted to protest, but the part that told him that that would be stupid and illogical won, and he just sighed and nodded.

Lorne did not waste anymore time. He tapped his radio. "This is Major Lorne addressing all military personnel. Gear up and report to the Gateroom immediately. I repeat, gear up and report to the Gateroom."

Woolsey nodded, and a slight hint of satisfaction could be detected behind all the horror on his face. "I want all non-essential civilian personnel confined to their quarters," he told Chuck. "And ask everyone to stay alert and report anything suspicious."

The young Canadian nodded and turned around towards his station to pass on the message throughout the city.

John looked back at McKay and Zelenka who were still busy working. "We really could use those sensors, guys," he said.

"I know!" Rodney barked.

Marines began piling into the Gateroom below and Lorne went to greet them and organize them into teams. "The city-wide sensors are down," they heard him explain. "So we have to rely on handheld life-sign detectors for now. That means at least one gene-carrier per team."

John watched from the upper level, his heart racing and every fiber in his body yearning to go with his men. He noticed movement to his right and turned to see that Nina had stepped up beside him. "You should go," he said.

"Sorry?"

"Gear up and report to the major. You're ex-military. We need all hands on this."

For a moment she just looked at him, but then she clicked her heels together and saluted him. "Yes, sir!"

He smiled a little nervous smile. "Looks like you'll get to meet your first Wraith now," he said. "Take care."

"Don't I always?" she said with a teasing smile, before she went downstairs to join Lorne and the marines.

Woolsey also descended the stairs to have a final word with the major, and John quickly joined him. Lorne nodded to the expedition leader as he approached. "We are ready, sir. We'll be heading down to Lab 8 and start from there."

Neither John nor Woolsey got to answer before McKay suddenly spoke. John hadn't even heard the Canadian following them down the stairs and the voice startled him. "Actually, I should be going down there too_._" John turned to look surprised at him. This sounded uncharacteristically brave for Rodney.

Woolsey frowned. "Why?" he asked.

"Yes, why?" John added. "I'd rather you got those sensors up and running."

"No, I need to go to Lab 8," Rodney pressed on. "I need to find out how the Wraith got into the city, and, more importantly, if there are more where they came from."

"But we need the sensors to see how many Wraith are in the city _now. _And where they are!"

"Zelenka can handle it. He can fix the sensors." That could be interpreted as a compliment for the Czech, but John wasn't sure and either way Radek wasn't around to hear it. Rodney continued, "Trust me, I want them up as much as you do."

Woolsey nodded. "Alright."

"Stay close," Lorne warned the scientist, quite unnecessarily.

Rodney was carrying his computer and now he pressed it closer to his chest, took one more deep breath and went with the marines. John watched them go and caught one last glimpse of Nina as she turned a corner and went out of sight.

* * *

Evan Lorne had seen many people that had been fed on by Wraith over the last years, far too many. Still, it was a sight you never got used to, and he had to breathe deeply to steady himself as they entered Lab 8 and saw the dead bodies scattered across the floor. They were dried-out and bony, their eyes sunken and lifeless, and their mouths were still open as if their last screams still lingered in the room.

Evan looked at the body closest to him. The only thing good about Wraith victims were that they were usually unrecognizable. It somehow made it easier to distance yourself from the cruelty when the bodies no longer looked human. This particular body had been a woman. Her hair was now long and white, and Evan could only guess what color it used to be. The flag patch on her uniform jacket was Dutch. Probably been blonde then, he thought. He bent down and carefully retrieved her ID card from her pocket. Haneke van der Hagen, it said, and the woman on the picture was blonde, alright. He didn't know her, but no doubt she had been important to _someone_, and it made his heart ache. He grabbed a lab coat still slung over a chair and covered her with it. They'd be back for the bodies later. Right now there was no time.

Evan straightened his back and glanced across the room. Doctor McKay had already started his investigation. He was scanning the equipment and carefully moved about the room, obviously trying hard to avoid looking at the dead people.

"Alright," Evan said and got the attention of his men. "Let's hunt us some Wraith. Sgt. Johnson, you and your team will stay here with McKay and escort him back to the Gateroom when he's done. The rest of you, spread out."

The teams headed out, all in different directions. Evan and the other four men on his team walked down a corridor heading towards the inner parts of the city. He kept the P90 close to his chest, and now and then he picked up the life-sign detector from his belt and looked at it. He read several life signs, but the detector didn't distinguish Wraith from humans. All the little dots on the tiny screen were headed away from them, though, so he guessed they were marines.

They had been walking for almost half an hour, when two more life signs popped up on his detector. With a few hand movements he signaled his men to stop and then showed them two fingers and waved them in the right direction. Evan's heart was racing as they slowly moved down the hallway and turned a corner.

The next thing he saw was a flash of blue light to his right as Private Sanchez was hit by a stun gun and tumbled to the floor, and then a flicker of white hair and green faces running towards him.

Evan fired his P90 almost on instinct and so did his men behind him. The two male Wraith never really stood a chance, but it took a lot of bullets to bring them to the ground. But finally they both dropped dead, and Evan exhaled and lowered his weapon. Turning to offer his compliments to his men with a nod, he tapped his radio. "Control, this is Major Lorne, we have successfully rounded up and killed two Wraith."

* * *

"_Control, this is Major Lorne, we have successfully rounded up and killed two Wraith._"

As Lorne's voice hissed from the radio, both John and Woolsey turned to look at Zelenka with hope and anticipation. The Czech gazed up from his work long enough to frown and shake his head, and the two men sighed. Woolsey pressed the radio button. "Zelenka says there are more, Major."

"_Copy that, sir. We'll continue the hunt as soon as we've brought Private Sanchez to safety. He got stunned._"

"Copy that," Woolsey replied and exchanged looks with John.

John went over to Zelenka again. "How's it going with those sensors, Doc?"

"I'm trying," Radek mumbled without looking up. Then he grimaced and rubbed his eyes behind his glasses.

"Look, I know you find it hard to concentrate," John said. "And I'm not blaming you. But…"

"I'm doing my best!" Zelenka snapped.

"Good," John said and stepped back a little. "That's all I want from you."

Woolsey walked over to the rails and watched the deserted and quiet Gateroom below. John found the silence of the room really creepy. It just didn't feel right that it should be so peaceful when there were Wraith loose in the city. Woolsey shook his head. "I just don't understand how they were able to get in," he said, turning to face the others again. "Maybe they've been here all the time?"

"Not likely," John said. "Teyla or Kanaan… or Radek," he turned to look at the Czech who was still sweating over the control panel, "would have sensed them before if they were."

"I can answer that question," a voice rang out. McKay had just returned with a group of marines in his wake. The Canadian was carrying a piece of Wraith equipment which he, a little triumphantly, dropped on a panel. "They came from this."

John, Woolsey and the technicians all gazed at the little box with puzzled frowns on their faces. Zelenka also peered up from his seat to have a look and, unlike the others, he seemed to understand right away what McKay meant. "Oh God, a storage device?"

"Precisely," Rodney answered. "The Wraith probably stored themselves in this while waiting for rescue. That way they would be able to stay alive for thousands of years without feeding. One were to stay behind to rematerialize them when the time was right."

"That would be the drone Ronon killed on the hive," John said.

Rodney nodded. "Obviously they _never_ got rescued. Until we came along, that is…"

Woolsey blinked. "So, what you're saying is that _we _actually brought them here?"

"Yes," Rodney said, looking a little embarrassed. "Or more precisely, my team and I did. The people in Lab 8 must have accidentally rematerialized them when studying the device."

John looked at the box again. "How many can this thing store?"

"I don't know," McKay replied.

"Crap!" John said, and turned to the marines escorting Rodney. "You should head out and help with the hunt. God knows how many there are out there."

"Of course, sir," said the sergeant leading the team. "But none of us have the gene. We won't be able to operate the life-sign detector."

"McKay will go with you."

Rodney's head snapped up and he stared at John with a horrified look. But then he seemed to decide not to protest, and he just sighed heavily and picked up the detector. "Alright, but you better protect me," he told the sergeant. He turned to Zelenka. "And you get those sensors up! I'm beginning to lose faith in your abilities."

Zelenka glared at him and muttered something before returning to his work. Rodney left with the marines, and the room fell back into that creepy silence again.

Suddenly the radio hissed and the frantic voice of a marine emitted from it. "_Control, this is Lieutenant Woods. We just got ambushed by several Wraith out on the East Pier. We managed to get in a few good punches, but we got separated in all the fuss. I have lost contact with three of my people."_

John felt his heart sink. "Who?"

"_Private Barnes, Sergeant Jackson… and Dahl._"

For a few short seconds John's vision blackened, but then he shook it off. He turned to Zelenka. "Radek…" he hissed between gritted teeth, sounding a lot more angry than he had planned.

"I got it!" Radek exclaimed at the precise same moment, and John and Woolsey both hurried over to the screen as all the city's life signs reappeared on it. Unlike the handheld detectors, the city-wide sensors could distinguish between humans and Wraith, and John quickly counted thirteen orange dots moving around.

"Thirteen!" he said. "There are thirteen more. Let's see… eight heading towards the main tower from the East Pier, two more close to the Bio lab on level six, two are in the mess hall and one…"

He stopped, watching the little orange dot moving around in the outer parts of the East Pier. But what really caught his attention, and the very reason why he had stopped in the middle of the sentence, was the little white dot it was chasing. He didn't know how, but he just knew it was Nina.

"_You heard the man,_" he heard Lorne's voice say. "_Let's move, people!_"

The white marine-dots on the screen began regrouping and moving in to intercept the Wraith. But no one was close to the outskirts of the East Pier. John looked around, and saw that Woolsey had headed back into his office for a minute. "Radek," he said. "Come with me!"

"What? Where?" Radek said.

"We're going to the East Pier to hunt the last Wraith."

"But…"

"No buts! I can't hold the life-sign detector because of this damn casts, so I need you with me to warn me."

Radek just stared at him, and so did Banks and Chuck and the other technicians. John ignored them and just started to walk down the stairs to the Gateroom. "Zelenka!" he called. "And the rest of you, keep monitoring the Wraith's movements."

Somehow he had managed to talk Zelenka into joining him, or maybe scared him into doing it, because the Czech soon caught up with him as they headed out of the Gateroom and down towards the armory. Once there, John ordered Radek to grab a P90 and a sidearm. "You know how to fire these things, don't you?" he asked.

"I… I've had the basic training, if that's what you mean," Zelenka answered in a quivering voice.

"That'll do," John said and headed down the hall to the nearest transporter, the now heavily armed Czech in tow.

His radio hissed. "_Colonel, what do you think you're doing?_" Woolsey's voice called.

"I'm hunting Wraith, sir."

"_You're in no condition. Come back here immediately!_"

"No can do, sir."

"_Sheppard!_"

"Maybe… Maybe we should go back," Radek said as they reached the transporter and John bent down as best as he could and pressed the button.

John met his eyes. "She's important to me," was all he said.

Radek swallowed hard and tightened his grip on the P90. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

The East Pier was dark and seemingly deserted. John walked slowly down the hallways, with Zelenka moving nervously next to him. "Do you sense them?" he whispered.

"All the time," Zelenka hissed, obviously finding the question stupid. "I don't know if we're any closer. It doesn't work that way!"

"Chuck?" John called into his radio. It had been silent for some time now, as Woolsey had finally stopped trying to persuade him back to the Control Room.

"_Yes, sir._"

"Where is he?"

"_He's heading towards one of the unused storage rooms on the first level. The other person is there too._"

"We'll head that way."

"_Wait! There's someone heading towards you._"

Just then they heard running footsteps behind them and Zelenka spun around and frantically searched the area with his eyes. A shadow came around a corner and Radek let out a loud cry and raised his P90.

"Whoa, it's me, don't shoot!" Ronon's voice called out. He came slowly towards them with his hands in the air.

Zelenka exhaled and lowered the weapon with shaking hands. The big Satedan came closer. "I listened in on the radio," he explained. "I've come to help you."

"Thanks," John said. "Come on."

They ran down the hall and had almost reached the designated storage room, when Chuck was back on the radio. "_They're on the move again. Heading west, back towards the city. The Wraith's catching up. They're… Crap!"'_

"What?" John yelled and came to a full stop so that Radek almost ran straight into him.

"_We've lost the sensors again, sir. I'm sorry, I don't know where they are._"

John cursed out loud, wanting nothing else than to smash both his arms into the wall to get rid of that damn cast. But he knew that would do no good, so instead he spun around to look at Zelenka. "You can find him," he said.

"What?" the Czech said, stepping back a little, obviously nervous under John's piercing glare.

John leaned in closer. "The Wraith. I need you to connect with him."


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

Radek just stared back at John with a slightly puzzled, but mostly horrified look. "Wh-what?" he repeated.

"You heard me," John said. "You can do it. Teyla's shown you how, hasn't she?"

"In theory, yes," Radek exclaimed. "I've never actually _done_ it!"

"Well, here's your chance. Do it now."

Radek shook his head. "Please…," he quivered.

"He's taking her!" John tried to keep his voice down not to frighten Zelenka more than necessary, but it was not easy with so much at stake.

Zelenka stepped further backwards until his back was against the wall. He looked away from John and down the hallway as if he considered trying to run away. Wisely, he seemed to discard the idea and shifted his gaze back at John. "I… I'm not sure I can do it."

"You can try," John said. "That's all I ask."

"But…"

"Hey," Ronon said as he stepped forward a little, eyeing Zelenka, but not in a threatening way. "If you think there's a chance you can do it, then you should help out, Doc."

Radek looked from him to John and back again. "You do know there's a chance the Wraith will take control of me?" he said.

"He won't have the time," John assured him, though he didn't really know for sure. "You only need to enter his mind for a few seconds. Just to see where he's at, and then you can, you know, leave."

Zelenka sighed. "Alright," he eventually decided. "I'll give it a try. For you, Colonel. And for the woman."

"Thank you," John said sincerely.

Radek began stripping himself of the weapons and handed them to Ronon. "But you better hold on to these. Just in case."

"Sure," Ronon said, though it looked like he found the precaution a bit unnecessary.

"We don't have much time," John pressed.

"Hey," Ronon said once again, this time directed at him. "Just let him do it."

Radek took a deep breath and lowered his shoulders. Then he gazed at both of them, before he closed his eyes and his breathing became slower.

A minute or two passed. In his mind John wanted to shout at Zelenka to hurry up, but he kept his mouth shut. Instead he stood completely still, afraid to disturb the Czech's concentration. Once he'd spent six months meditating with a bunch of Ancients. He knew it was hard to do.

Suddenly Zelenka's head tilted back and his eyelids flickered. Then he drew in air in a loud gasp and his eyes snapped open. "Storage room 6," he panted.

Ronon dropped Zelenka's weapons to the floor and was off like a shot. John took time to say "Good boy," before he ran after him, leaving the trembling Zelenka alone.

Storage room 6 was one level down from where they were and they ran to the stairs and descended, taking several steps at the time. Then they rushed down the corridor and Ronon threw himself at the door, forcing it open and entered the room, his gun at the ready. John was right behind him and tumbled in, nearly tripping, but he managed to regain his balance.

The Wraith was in the middle of the room, kneeling over Nina Dahl's still form lying on the floor. He was about to slam his palm down unto her chest, but when the two men burst in, he looked up, just in time to see the red energy bolts emitting from Ronon's gun and hitting him square in the face. With a loud cry the Wraith fell backwards, and Ronon ran up to him and fired several more bolts down at him. When Zelenka stumbled into the room with his P90 a second later, the job was done.

John knelt down beside Nina and so did Ronon. "She's just been stunned," he proclaimed.

John heard Zelenka exhale behind him and stood up, turning towards him. "Good job, Radek," he said, and seeing the scientist's pale face, he stepped closer and added, "I promise I will _never _ask this of you again."

Radek met his eyes and smiled weakly back at him, as John's radio hissed. "_John? This is Rodney. I have gotten the city-wide sensors back online – again. Looks like you just killed the last Wraith._"

"Good," John replied. "Everything's fine down here." He looked down at Nina. "Everything's fine."

* * *

"So, how did a girl like you end up in the military?" John smiled at Nina as they walked side by side towards the mess hall.

"I guess you could blame my dad," she said. "He's this filthy rich, big-shot lawyer and when I was little, he always said to me, 'Nina, you are fortunate enough to live in a country where a girl has the same rights and opportunities as a boy. You should take advantage of that and become anything you want.' So I said, 'Sure, Dad,' – and joined the army."

John chuckled. "I have a feeling that was not what he had in mind."

She laughed. "Oh no. He was _not _happy. Apparently 'become anything you want' meant 'become a lawyer like me, find a boring lawyer husband and then hire a Philippine au pair to raise your kids'. Well, at least my sister did that."

Her story was familiar, John thought to himself. Clearly they had a lot in common. "But not you," was all he said out loud.

"No, the average life is not for me."

"Then you need not worry. Nothing's average around here."

"Yeah, I'm beginning to realize that." She smiled at him. "It was a teen rebellion at first," she continued. "But the military got me interested in biology and the fight against bio weapons, and that's how I got my degree."

"I see." He glanced sideways at her. "So your first Wraith encounter hasn't scared you off?"

"Hell no. I welcome the excitement. But I'll be damned if I get hit by one of those stunners again."

"I know what you mean. And excitement is something else we're not short on here. And if there isn't any, then we'll just have to create some." He winked at her.

She slipped her arm around his waist and put her chin upon his shoulder. "We still have that unsettled ski race."

"Yeah, and I'm gonna take you surfing," he added as they entered the crowded mess hall. "Once my arms are healed, of course."

"Looking forward to it," she said and pinched his butt.

* * *

Teyla saw John and Dr. Dahl enter the mess hall and head for a table at the back. She smiled, glad to see the woman unharmed. She had arrived back to Atlantis the morning after the Wraith hunt and was shocked to hear the tales of what had happened in her absence. Five people had died in Lab 8, two marines had perished in the following hunt. It was just horrible, but what had shocked her most was that no one had believed Zelenka. John had looked a little guilt ridden when he told her.

She saw Radek in the crowd and left Torren with Kanaan, and went over to him. He looked up and smiled that little, nervous smile of his. "Hello," he said.

"How are you?" she asked. She had wanted to talk to him before, but in the days that had passed since the Wraith incident, he'd been pretty busy helping Rodney tie up the loose ends on the research in Lab 8.

"I'm fine," he said, and then changed it to, "better."

She looked earnestly at him. "Radek, this is not your fault. According to what I have heard, there was no way you could have warned those people."

"I know," he said.

"And the others should have believed you," she added. "They will not make that mistake again, I believe."

He smiled a little and nodded.

"And you connected with a Wraith," Teyla continued. "After just a few days of practice. That was well done."

"Well, thank you," he said. "I did as you told me. I pictured myself playing the cello."

She smiled. "From now on it will be easier."

He grimaced. "I'm not sure I want to do it again."

"Then you should not," she said. "But you did it once. And you saved a woman's life because of it. And in many ways, the Colonel's life too." She nodded towards the table where John and Dahl were sitting.

Radek followed her gaze. "I guess. And come to think of it, sensing danger in advance is not the worst ability one could have."

"I told you it was a gift," she said mildly. "It is a gift when you share it."

He looked back at her as even more people arrived in the room and found a seat, ready for another 'cultural lunch'. Teyla smiled. She put her hands on Radek's shoulders, gently touching her forehead against his. "Go and play your cello," she said. "I have been looking forward to this."

While he took his place on the podium, she made her way back to Kanaan and Torren at their table and sat down. She spotted Rodney and Jennifer at another table close by, and Ronon and Amelia up at the front. There was so much love in this room, she realized, and it made her smile and move in closer to Kanaan.

"I would like to dedicate this to the people we lost last week," Radek said from the podium, and people respectfully bowed their heads for a few moments.

And then, when Zelenka started to play and the melancholic music filled the room, Teyla closed her eyes for a moment and just let it all – the sadness, the melancholy, the music and the love – surround her and embrace her.


End file.
